[3.5e] Geas restrictions

[kahlzun]

Ok, so I'm running a campaign in which the 7 most powerful wizards (well into Epic levels) have been placed under some kind of Geas by the BBEG, who in this case is an evil deity.

Essentially, these 7 were prophecied to stop him, and when they initially reached out to attack him, he used a set of prepared Scry/Geas/Curse combos in order to 'lock away' his competition.

I am struggling to think of a combo which would be enough to stop an epic-tier wizard, but would theoretically be able to be broken by them (so the geas retains the juicy 'until task finished' modifier).

Can you have multiple Geas's on the same person, but with almost-but-not-quite-conflicting messages? If for example, you had a "Clean every stone in your tower during the day" and a "Soil, defile and deface every stone in your tower during the night" geas, would that work, especially if combined with a "Mute" curse? (Assuming the tower is large enough that they cannot do both or either in the time alloted, and as such would start to rack up serious hp loss or stat penalties)

And would it be possible to break a deity-level geas? If so, how?

Cheers for any help,

Sam

[khadgar567]

welp this is complex request but geass you are my slave, craft contengency when geass breaks cast mind rape then cast geass with same order again and last but not least if not works cast meta magiced deathrores centred on wizard it self hope it helps

[kahlzun]

Ok, let me distill the request down then: Is it possible to have multiple geas's affecting a target simultaneously?

[Troacctid]

If I were a Wizard instructed to clean every stone in my tower during the day without the use of magic until they are all clean, and dirty every stone in my tower without the use of magic during the night until they are all dirty, I would simply do one of them faster than the other so that I can finish that one, break the geas, then finish the other one and there you go, I'm back in business.

[rel]

Ok, let me distill the request down then: Is it possible to have multiple geas's affecting a target simultaneously?

It seems possible.


Mental Control Effects

Sometimes magical effects that establish mental control render each other irrelevant, such as a spell that removes the subjects ability to act. Mental controls that don’t remove the recipient’s ability to act usually do not interfere with each other. If a creature is under the mental control of two or more creatures, it tends to obey each to the best of its ability, and to the extent of the control each effect allows. If the controlled creature receives conflicting orders simultaneously, the competing controllers must make opposed Charisma checks to determine which one the creature obeys.

If multiple effects from different creatures all work then multiple effects from the same creature should too. Ultimately it is a GM call.

Geas the spell is mind affecting and a compulsion to boot. It can be stopped by mind blank or even protection from evil. I'm not sure if divine ranks will do anything about that fact.

[ATHATH]

If I were a Wizard instructed to clean every stone in my tower during the day without the use of magic until they are all clean, and dirty every stone in my tower without the use of magic during the night until they are all dirty, I would simply do one of them faster than the other so that I can finish that one, break the geas, then finish the other one and there you go, I'm back in business.
I'd just destroy my tower or give it away, then claim a miniature tower model that can fit in the palm of my hand as my "tower".

[Troacctid]

I'd just destroy my tower or give it away, then claim a miniature tower model that can fit in the palm of my hand as my "tower".
I figure that would trip the "prevented from fulfilling" clause.

[Prime32]

One of the most iconic stories about geasa is how Cú Chullain ended up dying because he was under two separate oaths of "Never refuse hospitality from a woman" and "Never eat dog meat". Shortly before an important battle, his enemies had a woman offer him dog meat, forcing him to break one of his geasa and become weakened.

[kahlzun]

I think i'll stick with some geas about "... your tower" and have one clever wizard get out of it by selling his tower to a trusted friend.
It is no longer 'his' tower, geas expires, buys it back from him.

Its sufficiently simple enough to be worked out within a couple of days, and clever enough that only 1 of the 7 would figure it out.

[ATHATH]

I think i'll stick with some geas about "... your tower" and have one clever wizard get out of it by selling his tower to a trusted friend.
It is no longer 'his' tower, geas expires, buys it back from him.

Its sufficiently simple enough to be worked out within a couple of days, and clever enough that only 1 of the 7 would figure it out.
Why didn't the Wizard free his friends?

Why didn't the friends free each other using (epic?) spells or the like?

[Mordaedil]

It seems possible.


If multiple effects from different creatures all work then multiple effects from the same creature should too. Ultimately it is a GM call.

Geas the spell is mind affecting and a compulsion to boot. It can be stopped by mind blank or even protection from evil. I'm not sure if divine ranks will do anything about that fact.
Would I be correct in thinking that Protection from Evil prevents geas from being cast on you, but has no effect if cast after geas has been cast, while mindblank can negate the geas?

Otherwise, PfE is very powerful for a first level spell.

[Crake]

Would I be correct in thinking that Protection from Evil prevents geas from being cast on you, but has no effect if cast after geas has been cast, while mindblank can negate the geas?

Otherwise, PfE is very powerful for a first level spell.

Neither, geas does not provide ongoing control. The parameters of the spell are set at the time of casting, and provides the caster no ability to control the subject in an ongoing manner any more than a confusion spell would.

[Mordaedil]

Neither, geas does not provide ongoing control. The parameters of the spell are set at the time of casting, and provides the caster no ability to control the subject in an ongoing manner any more than a confusion spell would.

Wait, but is the effect applied once or every time the player goes against the setting of the geas?

[rel]

Protection from evil doesn't stop spells being cast it merely supresses their effects for its duration.
So, assuming your GM rules the geas of 'do what I say' is a form of ongoing control, a protection from evil spell will suppress the geas for the few minutes it is up.

Mind blank provides protection but doesn't elaborate what that means. I would rule mind blank stops spells from working as they are being cast but merely supresses already active spells if it is cast after them.